A few things about my snake..?

1. So I got my baby sonoran black kingsnake about 3 weeks ago, I noticed a brown spot on the tip of her nose that looks like a scab, and feels like a scab, and it doesn’t seem to bother her, she lets me touch it with no signs of being bothered, also she has shown no signs of shedding either. They fed her live mice at the place I bought her from so i’m thinking it could be a scab from the mouse trying to fight back.. do pinkie mice fight back?

-this is as good of pic as i can get of her nose, sorry she’s not very photogenic :P



2. the place i got her from told me to keep her temps at 75-80 on the cold side and 85-95 on the hot side, so Her tank temps usually read 75-78 on cold side, and usually around 90 on the hot side (it varies throughout the day because the weather has been really strange lately) So, I have seen her on the hot side maybe once since I’ve gotten her, but 99% of the time she’s on the cold side (i’ve even tried lowering the heat), why is this?

3. When i pick her up she’s cold to the touch (I know reptiles are cold blooded, but she feels colder then normal lately) and she just sits in my hand for a minute or so before she starts to go explore (i heard this is caused from being cold, and trying to adjust to my body heat. true or false?)

and to questions 2 and 3 - i don’t know much about the brumation period, how to tell if a snake is trying to brumate, ect. but could my snake be sensing the weather change outside (it’s been getting colder lately) and is she thinking that it’s time to go into brumation, so that’s why she is cold, and staying on the cold side? just a thought...

anyways, i’m not worried to much because other then these 3 things she acts alive and happy, and very curious after a while of being out, exploring everything in her reach :]<3 thanks in advanced

First of all, that is a very beautiful snake!! She seems very healthy and is a good body weight.

In regards to the rough patch/scab on her nose, it may be a scab or may possibly be an area where she had been rubbing her nose a lot against a lid or airhole. Pinky mice can't do that to a snake, so my theory is my first guess. Just keep an eye on it, and see what happens when she sheds next. It may be a patch of skin that may possibly come off.

If she is on the cold side way more often than the hot side, then IMO, she is telling you that the hot side is too hot, and I feel that the hot temps you described are a little much for her being a baby. Now, if she is eating, and digesting, and is not seeming to be doing anything out of the ordinary, then that is great, and is the evidence of your success. If she is just sticking to the cool side ALL of the time, lower the hot side to 82-85, have the cool side at 75ish, and see how she does, and adjust accordingly. If the temps are really that different in your cage, and she is able to go back and forth, that is great as well. It is the first thought a lot of the time, in regards to snakes being cold blooded, that they would be going to the hottest part of the cage much more often, but I believe that they get what they need from warm temps that are not as warm as we would at first think. There is always a risk to having them too warm as well.

As far as her being cold to the touch, that is not out of the ordinary. If she was wanting to brumate, she would be going off feed.

It seems you are doing quite well for the little beauty!!

I would agree 100% with doing just as Billy (DISCERN) has suggested with adjusting the temps a bit. Also, pinks and fuzzies are totally helpless at that age and are totally incapable of harming the snake. Older live weened mice and adults are an entirely different story however, and they can easily injure a snake, and even disfigure and kill them if left in the cage unattended for any length of time if the snake does not want to eat it within a reasonable amount of time after being introduced. Even when snakes do kill them readily they can sometimes get a not-so-good constriction grip and get bitten and chewed in the process if the prey's mouth is free to clamp onto the snake in a given situation. I have seen this happen countless times over the decades. Many wild snakes as well as countless captives bear permanent injuries and scars from such encounters. For this reason(among many others), it is a good idea to get snakes feeding on frozen/thawed rodents by the time they are able to eat larger prey.

The ambient temps should be in the mid 70's on the cool end, but should be accurately taken on the SURFACE of the warm end of the enclosure where the snake's belly actually touches via a temp probe or accurate thermometer, not the air temp. They must be able to self thermo-regulate in order to properly digest their meals or conserve their energy at any given time as needed. Small tight hides on each end are extremely important to provide as well, otherwise the tiny vulnerable snake will not feel secure enough and always be looking for a place to hide.

Not being able to locate sufficient places to hide and incorrect temperatures are a very common cause of snake's to rub their snouts trying to find a more optimum environment.

Anyway, your L.g. splendida looks to be in very good body weight as Billy mentioned previously, so there shouldn't be a problem keeping it that way and thriving as long as you apply good basic husbandry practices. I would strongly suggest that you get one or two decent, inexpensive kingsnake books too. This will help you more than anything else you could ever possibly do for yourself and the snake, as well as help you avoid dealing with needless problems BEFORE they arise from following certain basics.

Good luck with the little one!



~Doug